The Otago Chess Club has gone into recess over the Summer break and will open again on Wednesday 30 January 2008. The final club tournament of the year was the Summer 60-60 event, which was won by Quentin Johnson with a score of 4½/5 ahead of John Sutherland in second place on 4 and David Reid third on 3 points.
Todays's game is the decisive fourth round match between Johnson, playing White, and Sutherland. Typically of the relatively fast time limit of one hour each for the game, holding the initiative was enough to eventually break down Black's resistance.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 ---
Opting for a Symmetrical English setup, as after 3 d5 Black could gain easy development with the Benko Gambit 3... b5!? – well worth a pawn at a faster time control. 3. --- cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. g3 O-O 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. O-O a6 9. b3 Rb8? 10. Bf4! Ra8
Losing two tempi, but the alternatives 10 ... e5 or 10 ...d6 lose a pawn to 11 Nxc6 etc. 11. e4 Qa5 12. Nde2 e5!?
Leaving a hole on d5 which will require pieces to defend, in order to free his pieces and keep the a8-h1 diagonal closed. The play now centres on whether White can occupy d5 with a piece unchallenged. 13. Bg5 Ne8 14. Be3 Bc5 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Qd5 Qe7
Interesting is the attempt to get rid of the weak d-pawn by 16 ... d6 17 Qxc5 dxc5 18 Na4 Nd4 19 Nec3 Ne6 defending c5. Unfortunately for Black the White knights invade: 20 Nb6 Rb8 21 Ncd5 Kh8 22 Ne7 winning the exchange. 17. Rad1 d6 18. Qd2 Be6 19. f4! f5
The d5 square is similarly occupied by a white knight after 19 ... exf4 20 Nxf4. 20. exf5 Bxf5 21. Nd5 Qd8 22. Ne3 Qb6? 23. Kh1? ---
Both sides miss the win of a piece by White: 23 fxe5 dxe5 24 c5! Qxc5 25 Qd5+ Qxd5 26 Bxd5+ Kh8 27 Nxf5. However White retains the advantage. 23. --- Be6 24. Nd5 Qd8
Or 24...Bxd5? 25 Bxd5+ Kh8 26 fxe5 and the mate threat on f8 wins two pawns. Black has held the immediate threats, so with both sides starting to get short of time, White regroups to apply pressure down the e-file. 25. Rfe1 b5 26. Ng1 bxc4 27. bxc4 Rc8 28. Nf3 Bg4 29. Qd3 Kh8 30. Ng5 g6 31. Rb1 Ne7?
Black finally cracks – 31 ... Qa5! hitting e1 would have continued to hold out. Now the White rook attains the seventh rank and the end is shortened by further time-trouble errors. 32. Rb7 Nc7 33. Nxc7 Rxc7 34. fxe5 Rxb7 35. Bxb7 Nc6? 36. Bxc6 Qxg5 37. exd6 Qc5? 38. Qc3+ Kg8
Black overstepped the time-limit here, but 39 Bd5+ wins the queen since 39 ... Rf7 40 Re8 is mate.
Otago club season ends
Problem: White to play and mate in four.
The Otago Chess Club has gone into recess over the Summer break and will open again on Wednesday 30 January 2008. The final club tournament of the year was the Summer 60-60 event, which was won by Quentin Johnson with a score of 4½/5 ahead of John Sutherland in second place on 4 and David Reid third on 3 points.
Todays's game is the decisive fourth round match between Johnson, playing White, and Sutherland. Typically of the relatively fast time limit of one hour each for the game, holding the initiative was enough to eventually break down Black's resistance.
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. Nf3 ---
Opting for a Symmetrical English setup, as after 3 d5 Black could gain easy development with the Benko Gambit 3... b5!? – well worth a pawn at a faster time control.
3. --- cxd4
4. Nxd4 e6
5. Nc3 Be7
6. g3 O-O
7. Bg2 Nc6
8. O-O a6
9. b3 Rb8?
10. Bf4! Ra8
Losing two tempi, but the alternatives 10 ... e5 or 10 ...d6 lose a pawn to 11 Nxc6 etc.
11. e4 Qa5
12. Nde2 e5!?
Leaving a hole on d5 which will require pieces to defend, in order to free his pieces and keep the a8-h1 diagonal closed. The play now centres on whether White can occupy d5 with a piece unchallenged.
13. Bg5 Ne8
14. Be3 Bc5
15. Bxc5 Qxc5
16. Qd5 Qe7
Interesting is the attempt to get rid of the weak d-pawn by 16 ... d6 17 Qxc5 dxc5 18 Na4 Nd4 19 Nec3 Ne6 defending c5. Unfortunately for Black the White knights invade: 20 Nb6 Rb8 21 Ncd5 Kh8 22 Ne7 winning the exchange.
17. Rad1 d6
18. Qd2 Be6
19. f4! f5
The d5 square is similarly occupied by a white knight after 19 ... exf4 20 Nxf4.
20. exf5 Bxf5
21. Nd5 Qd8
22. Ne3 Qb6?
23. Kh1? ---
Both sides miss the win of a piece by White: 23 fxe5 dxe5 24 c5! Qxc5 25 Qd5+ Qxd5 26 Bxd5+ Kh8 27 Nxf5. However White retains the advantage.
23. --- Be6
24. Nd5 Qd8
Or 24...Bxd5? 25 Bxd5+ Kh8 26 fxe5 and the mate threat on f8 wins two pawns. Black has held the immediate threats, so with both sides starting to get short of time, White regroups to apply pressure down the e-file.
25. Rfe1 b5
26. Ng1 bxc4
27. bxc4 Rc8
28. Nf3 Bg4
29. Qd3 Kh8
30. Ng5 g6
31. Rb1 Ne7?
Black finally cracks – 31 ... Qa5! hitting e1 would have continued to hold out. Now the White rook attains the seventh rank and the end is shortened by further time-trouble errors.
32. Rb7 Nc7
33. Nxc7 Rxc7
34. fxe5 Rxb7
35. Bxb7 Nc6?
36. Bxc6 Qxg5
37. exd6 Qc5?
38. Qc3+ Kg8
Black overstepped the time-limit here, but 39 Bd5+ wins the queen since 39 ... Rf7 40 Re8 is mate.
1-0
Solution: 1 Qg7+! Rxg7 2 fxg7+ Kg8 3 gxf8=Q+ Qxf8 4 Rxf8#.